


Rise Again

by princessgongjunim (MyOwnCharacterInEverything)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Ensemble Cast, Gen, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, Succubi & Incubi, True Mates, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-03-02 12:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18811132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyOwnCharacterInEverything/pseuds/princessgongjunim
Summary: Johnny was seventeen when Taeyong broke up with him. With every month, every full moon that passed… Johnny felt guiltier and guiltier for not telling Taeyong the truth about everything. He could feel it driving a wedge between them, but Johnny didn’t want to cause Taeyong any unnecessary stress.After graduation, Johnny swore to himself. He’d come clean after graduation.At the same time, though… Johnny wasn’t surprised that Taeyong broke up with him. What had surprised him, though, was the reason Taeyong did it. He didn't bring up Johnny’s skittishness or accuse him of hiding anything.He instead said that a long-distance relationship was impractical. Taeyong was going to some fancy school in New York, but Johnny knew that he had probably chosen that on purpose. Taeyong chose to leave Chicago, and consequently Johnny…If he told Taeyong about the whole werewolf thing now, especially the “you're my mate” part, Taeyong would take it as Johnny trying to guilt Taeyong into staying.And so, Johnny let him go.





	1. I: Backstory

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if this chapter is boring. it's mostly backstory and worldbuilding, so...
> 
> you have been warned.

Johnny was fifteen when he met Taeyong.

His fledgling pack had just been ripped away from him, all thanks to his stupid aunt and all her stupid friends. Sure, she'd had every right to send Jaehyun to an international boarding school in South Korea to join his older sisters. They were her kids, after all. But she really, _really_ didn't have to chase Ten and his family out of the country too.

So what if they were bitten wolves? If Johnny’s mom hadn’t taken the risk and bitten Ten as a kid, Ten would have died of sickness! And if Johnny's mom hadn’t bitten all of his aunt's _own children_ , they would have died after that car crash last year!

But _nooo_ , his aunt was _convinced_ that their born wolf legacy meant that they could only talk to other _proper_ born wolves. So much so, that she hired witches to sever pack bonds. She did it with Jessica and Krystal. She did it again with Jaehyun and Ten.

Losing Ten was bad enough for Johnny. But the fact that she'd been doing it to _her own goddamn children_ …

Whatever. She was just ashamed that all three of her kids had been born human. _Not that there was any shame in that, you stupid lady_. God, he hated her, gentlemanly rules, respect for elders, and love for family be _damned_.

Needless to say, Johnny was a wreck when his parents informed his aunt (read: ordered as her Alpha) that she would be hosting an exchange student for the remainder of Johnny’s high school years. Johnny didn't really think that much of it at the time, but he knew what it was. Hosting a human was the most subtle way his parents could say “fuck you” to his stupid aunt for chasing his pack out of the country. And since this human was, in all likelihood, completely Ignorant to his world, there was nothing his aunt could do or say, not without breaking appearances. It was genius, to be honest.

But the minute they picked up Taeyong from the airport, the minute Johnny smelled his scent and looked into his eyes… Johnny knew.

He was screwed.

* * *

Johnny was seventeen when Taeyong broke up with him.

When Johnny had first met Taeyong, his parents had advised that it would be best not to court Taeyong immediately. Johnny had understood: after all, Taeyong was settling into a new country, so it would be best not to overwhelm him right away. And Johnny had agreed, thoroughly enjoying the journey of befriending Taeyong and falling in love with him for who he was as a person. In fact, Johnny would have been content to stay friends with Taeyong forever, if Taeyong hadn’t marched into his room one day and asked him why the hell they weren’t dating yet.

Dating Taeyong had made for the best two years of Johnny’s life. It was happy. It was blissful. He could placate his wolf’s possessive instincts while maintaining the facade of being a normal human.

But with every month, every full moon that passed… Johnny felt guiltier and guiltier for not telling Taeyong the truth about everything. He could feel it driving a wedge between them, but Johnny didn’t want to cause Taeyong any unnecessary stress.

After graduation, Johnny swore to himself. He’d come clean after graduation.

At the same time, though… Johnny wasn’t surprised that Taeyong broke up with him. What had surprised him, though, was the reason Taeyong did it. He didn't bring up Johnny’s skittishness or accuse him of hiding anything.

He instead said that a long-distance relationship was impractical. Taeyong was going to some fancy school in New York, but Johnny knew that he had probably chosen that on purpose. Taeyong chose to leave Chicago, and consequently Johnny…

If he told Taeyong about the whole werewolf thing now, _especially_ the “you're my mate” part, Taeyong would take it as Johnny trying to guilt Taeyong into staying.

And so, Johnny let him go.  

His parents understood his dilemma far too well. They didn't make him go to college or anything, which was fine, since Johnny hadn't had any college plans. He'd wanted to take a gap year after graduation, taking Taeyong with him so Taeyong had time to absorb the news of the supernatural away from the stress of college.

It didn’t matter now. Not anymore.

The rejection of a mate is a powerful thing. In all honesty, if Johnny hadn’t deleted Taeyong’s number and every social media he had, Johnny would have probably gone crazy: crying and pleading like a song by The Script.

But it’s not like he was living either. He just had enough energy to regularly eat, pee, and shower. He couldn’t do much else. Why would he, when his anchor was miles away, living life without him?

Well… As they say, this too would pass.

And pass it did.

But if your sense of humor was dark enough…

…you might have even said _passed away…_  

* * *

Johnny was eighteen when he met his First Beta.

He sat numbly in the airport, his life having gone from bad to worse in a matter of a night. To make matters simple, a rogue hunter had set fire to his home, killing his parents, his aunt, a myriad of other pack members… Even some of his human relatives had been caught in the blaze. The only reason Johnny had survived was because his mom told him to go out to buy more milk.

It’d been a change of pace, actually. These past few family-pack meetings, he’d stayed upstairs in his room, burying his head under the pillows and covers, trying hard to block out the sounds of everyone downstairs. He couldn’t take the comments, the pity…

And so that night, when his mom fretted over the groceries, he’d volunteered to go out, to avoid everyone and everything, at least for a while.

The last memory he’d had of his parents was a small proud look. They were proud of him for going outside.

 _For going outside_ , for God’s sake…

They should have been proud because their only son was going to college. Because he was happy with his mate. Because he was destined to take over the pack some day.

But alas, this was not to be.

And it certainly didn’t matter now, not when Johnny’s pity party was interrupted by the scent of another wolf. At first, Johnny could feel his proverbial hackles rising. Because another wolf? Here, in his territory? But this wolf scent was different. It was faint, a mere undercurrent beneath anger, fear, and an overwhelming sense of _loneliness._

Dear _God,_ could he relate…

He found the source of the smell soon enough. A tiny girl, with nothing but a duffle bag and a backpack to her name. And at the sight of her, small with a fierce strength in her eyes, a different kind of instinct over took his wolf.

Wolves have a natural drive to take care of others. Any stray they come across will be brought into the fold and raised as one of their own. This little girl, all by herself in a Chicago, was a brave little thing with nowhere to go. Johnny’s wolf went into protective mode. A small pup like her deserved to be curled up in a warm home with a loving pack. And maybe, just maybe, Johnny needed somebody too. So he sat down next to her, flashing his wolf eyes when she tensed up next to him.

Johnny then decided to tell her _his_ story, hoping to endear himself to her. He told her about Taeyong, about his pack in the fire, about how he’s going to his grandparents in Seoul because that’s virtually the only family he had left. His mother’s Alpha power had returned to his grandfather, and Johnny had leapt at the excuse to leave Chicago and America altogether. For him, America was a land of broken promises and dreams that never came true.

It was silent for a beat. Two. But just before Johnny could regret his words, she took a deep breath and said she hated her name. She was fifteen and running away from home, Johnny learned. She’d been sick of her pack caring only about her little brother, the future alpha. Her pack had dismissed her as a normal human, since wolves, more often than not, shift into their furry forms as children. She hadn't, and so her pack had assumed that she never would. When her little brother had shifted, he was declared next in line, and all the attention went to him.

She couldn't take it anymore, she said. And so she’d bought a ticket for the first available flight out, which had happened to be South Korea. She'd declared herself packless and had nowhere to go, so she had no idea what she was going to do when she got there. But she refused to let fear and doubt change her mind.

Maybe it was the determination to survive in her eyes, but somehow, Johnny saw Jaehyun, the day of the car crash. Maybe it was the way she defiantly stick out her chin, but somehow, Johnny saw Ten, the day Johnny's aunt had kicked them out. Maybe it was the fact that his old pack had a lot of strong women. His mother. Jessica. Krystal. Maybe that was why Johnny immediately told this girl in the airport—almost _demanded_ , honestly—that she stay with him from here on out. Of course, and Johnny was proud to discover this, she was smart enough to ask if Johnny was asking her as a man or as a wolf. After all, if she were a normal human, this would be sketchy: Johnny was eighteen, and she was fifteen. Which is why he was surprised when her answer is a serious and sincere “Yes, Alpha.” But there it was. The quiet beginnings of a pack bond.

Yes, Johnny decides. The Seo Pack might have crumbled, but he was going to rebuild it. And for the first time in months, he felt something akin to hope.

* * *

Julie, they decided to called her.

“My mother used to joke that I should have been named Julie,” she’d said one late night.

Johnny had been surprised. It was rare for her to volunteer anything about her family.

“She knew someone who named their daughter Junie. Because she was born in June,” Julie had continued. “So my mother would say that I should have been named Julie. Because I was born in July.”

And that would be how those conversations would go. Johnny would get random snippets of her old family life, usually late at night, and a few tiny things at a time. Her little brother had been obsessed with NASA. Her mother was a nurse. Her father had been a philosophy major.

Even though Johnny still didn’t know too much about her, it turned out that adopting Julie was the best decision he could have made after losing everything. If he hadn't been so focused on teaching Julie Korean and helping her adjust to the country, he probably would have dropped out of college and gone out of his mind. He still felt the pain and anger at the loss of his once bright future, but he had to make sure Julie had a good example to follow and a secure future of her own. So he pushed down his grief and his longing for Taeyong in favor of raising Julie.

The first three months were especially hard for her. She knew nothing of the culture, half the food was weird, and she couldn't even read any of the stupid circles and lines on the signs. But Johnny was patient, even when Julie threw the textbook and dented the wall. After all, he had been just as angry after the world for forcing Ten and Jaehyun away from him. (He'd only started to calm down when he met Taeyong.)

But one day, Johnny found her crying, curled up on the bathroom floor, and she’d tearfully asked him if she had made the right decision in leaving her pack.

“What brought about all of this?” he asked her gently.

“I don’t know,” she sobbed. “But I’ve been feeling… _weird_ lately. Not sick”—she must have sensed Johnny’s question—“just _weird._ My skin feels heated and like it’s crawling, but there’s something curling in my stomach. Something clawing at my insides, like it wants to get out—” She sobbed again, nails digging into her arms. “I’ve been pushing it down, but it’s getting harder and harder… And it _hurts_.”

Johnny was concerned, of course, but he wanted to see if he was right about something first. “Julie, have you ever considered letting it out?”

Julie blinked in confusion. “Let what out?”

“Whatever you’re feeling. Instead of pushing it down.”

“I…I don’t know?”

“Try it. See what happens?”

“John, what—?”

“Do you trust me?”

Now Julie looked scared. “What?”

“Come on,” he said, picking up Julie by the waist.

“Hey, what?!” Julie began struggling fruitlessly. “John! Put me down! Wait!”

They had gone that weekend to see Johnny’s grandparents. The old Seo Alpha pair no longer lived in the old Pack House, instead opting for a small cabin in the woods. So Johnny had no issues with carrying her down the hall, opening a window, and throwing her out of it.

“ _Jooohhhnnnyyyyyy!!!!!_ ” Julie screamed as she fell from the second story. But Johnny simply counted down from five in his head before peeking out the window.

Ah. Just as he suspected.

 _Johnny, I swear to God!_ Julie shrieked. _What the fuck was that?! When I get back up there, I’m gonna tear out your insides, tie them to a brick, and drop them into the ocean_ —

“Julie,” Johnny said, not even bothering to raise his voice. “Look down.”

And Johnny felt it. The exact moment Julie looked down.

 _Wait, what the fuck?!_ boomed her thoughts. _But I thought… wait…how the fuck…?_

 _Congratulations, Jules,_ Johnny thought back through her pack bond. _You’ve finally shifted into a full wolf._

* * *

Later that night, Johnny went to his grandfather.

He was, admittedly, quite terrified. He had no reason to be, since he had literally trained his whole life for this. But it hadn’t been on his mind for a while now.

He hadn’t really wanted it, when he had Taeyong. Why would he, when Taeyong was everything? And looking back, maybe that was _why_ the universe had pulled them apart. If Taeyong was still there, taking up all of Johnny’s attention, Johnny probably never would have remembered how important being Alpha was.

But now? Now, he had Julie: a newly shifted wolf in need of an Alpha. Now, he had a reason to step up and take the responsibility he was supposed to have taken years ago.

Now, he was ready.

And so Johnny took a deep breath and opened the door to his grandfather’s office, where the man in question was sitting at his desk.

His grandfather had a soft expectant look on his face when he turned to face Johnny. “You finally came.”

Johnny felt a wave of shame, but his Alpha training kept the emotion off of his face. “I have neglected my duties long enough. It was about time I came forward—”

“ _Youngho_ ,” his grandfather interrupted gently. “You weren’t ready yet.”

Johnny was confused. “I was supposed to take it when—”

“—and if your life had gone the way we had all planned, you would have. But life is full of surprises, and sometimes, all we can do is make the best of it.”

Johnny bowed his head. He knew his grandfather was right, and he took one knee and kneeled respectfully before him.

“I’m ready now,” he said softly, and his grandfather rose up to stand before him.

“Seo Youngho,” his grandfather began. “As reigning Alpha, it is your responsibility to protect and maintain the peace within your territory. Do you understand that you must place the safety and wellbeing of your Pack over your own desires?

“I do.”

“As reigning Alpha, you will have influence and sway over the minds of your Pack. Do you understand that this power is a privilege not to be abused?”

“I do.”

“As reigning Alpha, the world will present to you infinite ways to keep you and your power in check. Do you understand that if you fail to be a satisfactory Alpha, anyone the world deems more fit for the role can take your place?”

“I do.”

“Rise, Seo Youngho. It is time for you to claim your rightful place.”

Johnny stood, and even though he was expected his grandfather to dig his claws into the back of his neck, he still inhaled sharply. But his hand was steady as he dug his own claws into the back of his grandfather’s neck.

His mother had warned Johnny about the sudden rush of power countless times when he was younger. But even with her words engraved into his memory, he still felt overwhelmed by the transfer. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to wrestle his—now stronger—wolf back into his control.

When Johnny opened his eyes again, he saw his grandfather’s golden eyes through his own newly red-tinted vision.

“Your parents would have been proud, Youngho,” his grandfather smiled.

And for the first time since he felt his old pack bonds break a year ago, Johnny cried.

* * *

The Seo Packhouse was more of a mansion in the woods than anything else.

And yet somehow, the vampire butler was the most surprising part.

“Alpha Seo?”

Next to Johnny, Julie stiffened at the sight of the vampire, but Johnny's grandfather had warned him about this. “Hello, Prince Dongyoung.”

To Johnny's surprise, the Prince snorted. “Please. Just call me Doyoung. Most of the vampire world no longer considers me their Prince.”

Johnny could feel Julie’s mind, screaming with a billion questions, but she didn’t do anything more than dig her claws into her clenched fists. Good. She was learning not to let her wolf get the best of her.

“Alright then, Doyoung. It’s nice to meet you. I hope our families can continue getting along for the foreseeable future.”

“I assume the terms are the same as what I agreed to under your grandfather?”

“They are.”

Doyoung bowed, a flash of relief in his eyes. “In that case, I better show you both to your rooms. As requested, I have put your rooms across the hall from each other. This way, please.”

As Doyoung led them to their rooms, Julie’s mind was racing. Johnny was just thankful that the rooms of the Pack House were soundproofed, because Johnny knew Julie was going to start asking questions the minute Doyoung was out of earshot.

“Dinner will be served at seven,” Doyoung said. “Until then, please feel free to entertain yourselves.”

“Thank you, Doyoung. We’ll be there.”

Doyoung left, and Johnny turned to Julie, silently telling her to settle into her new room. Julie scowled at the idea of waiting for answers, but she went anyway, as he knew she would.

After five short minutes—Johnny knew that was how long it would be before Julie got impatient—the door to Johnny’s bedroom burst open.

“What the _fuck_ , John?” Julie hissed.

“Close the door, please,” he replied, continuing to unpack his clothes.

Julie’s eyes flashed gold in her irritation, but she still did as he asked.

“What the _fuck_ , John?” Julie said, louder this time. “You couldn't have warned me about the _vampire in the house_????”

“Well, I—”

“—and not just _any_ vampire either! It's the _fucking exiled Crown Prince—_ ”

“Do you know _why_ he was exiled though?”

Julie blinked. “Not...really? I just know that for the last fifteen years or so, pretty much every vampire and his brother has been looking for him—”

“Exactly. His brother,” Johnny said, hanging up a few sweaters. “Doyoung’s brother is—”

“—the current ruling regent, Prince Gongmyung, _I know_. I’m not _stupid_.”

“Never said you were,” he soothed. Man, was this what it was like to be the father of a moody teenager?

“But seriously, why are we housing _the epicenter of vampire politics_?”

“Because he has a son.”

Judging by her sudden silence, that was not a piece of news that Julie was expecting.

“My grandfather made an agreement with him,” Johnny continued. “Doyoung needed a safe place to raise his son, and my grandparents had wanted to retire to a smaller, more manageable house. So, in exchange for asylum, Doyoung maintained the main Pack House.”

Julie was still scowling. “And why on Earth would your family even consider agreeing to such a thing? What do they care about some bloodsucker’s spawn?”

“Because Doyoung's son is a werewolf.”

Johnny hadn't thought it possible, but somehow, Julie's scowl deepened. “How is that possible? Vampires can only reproduce with people on the spectrum between fully human and fully vampire. Vampires and werewolves only produce stillborns, if anything they produce at all. There are too many genetic differences between the two species to create a viable fetus—”

“He's _adopted_ , you furbrain.”

“...oh.”

“Yeah.”

Johnny took a deep breath and decided to give Julie a warning. “The Seo Name is just as much a beacon as it is a deterrent. Other supernatural powers respect our territory because there has been a Seo living on our grounds for generations. But it would be wrong to say that they fear us. If anything, we Seos have long since gained a reputation for housing exiled creatures. There’s a _reason_ why Doyoung chose us over, say, a rival vampire clan. Because we are usually the closest thing that other creatures have to neutral ground.

“I know you have your hang-ups about vampires, and I won’t ask where you got them. But please understand that as the current Seo Alpha, it is my duty to carry on the family legacy of housing refugees. I don’t expect you to be completely accommodating, but please don’t start anything, okay?”

Julie still didn’t look happy about it, but there was just enough resignation in her expression that Johnny knew she wouldn’t cause him any grief.

“When you house people…” Julie began carefully. “Is it at least to your discretion?”

“Of course,” Johnny replied. “Our protection comes with an unspoken rule: if you do anything to cause us problems, you will be dealt with accordingly.”

Julie nodded slowly. “Okay… _Okay_. I think I can deal with that.”

“Well, you’ll have to. Because we’re gonna go on a tour of the house, and if we encounter the other occupants, well. I hope you play nice.”

“Of course I’ll be nice. I’m always nice. When am I _not_ nice?”

“...”

“Don’t answer that.”

* * *

As it turned out, Julie wasn’t going to be a problem at all.

The demon, however, was a different story.

It hadn’t taken long to find him. Julie, somehow, had sensed his presence in the house, and before Johnny had to worry about her tearing apart the house, she had found him, pinned him to the ground, and demanded to know why the hell he was here.

“Is that supposed to be a clever joke?” the demon asked.

“Quit avoiding the question,” Julie growled.

The demon was quiet, probably weighing his options. Then, finally, he said, “My name is Jungwoo. And _you_ …” He looked Julie up and down. “ _You_ are interesting.”

Julie wrinkled her nose. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I'm a demon, sweetheart. An incubus, to be exact. Dreams and desires are kinda my thing. But yours—”

“ _What about them?_ ”

“They're so…so _blurry_. Like you're trying so hard not to have them… It makes it hard for creatures like me to make them come true…” Jungwoo tilted his head. “What are you hiding, little girl?”

Julie snarled, her eyes flashing a dangerous gold. Johnny recognized that look. Julie always looked that way whenever there was something she did _not_ want to talk about.

“Julie, let him up,” Johnny said, deciding it was time to intervene. “He's not dangerous.”

“You don't know that.”

“You're right. I don't. But the House is warded to keep out those with malicious intentions. So if he’s made it this far into our territory, it’s safe to assume he’s not dangerous.”

A tense moment. Then finally, Julie sighed and got up off of Jungwoo. “Fine. But quit poking around in my head.”

Jungwoo blinked. “You can feel me doing that?”

“Yes,” Julie huffed, “and it's annoying, so _please_ stop.”

“Interesting…” Jungwoo said again. “Only Seer-class witches and other demons can sense simple readings.”

“What are you suggesting?” Julie growled.

“Nothing, right now,” Jungwoo said. “But I will say this much. We’re going to be the best of friends, you and I.”

He slung an arm around Julie’s shoulders, and she immediately pushed him off. “Look, mister,” she snapped, “I assume you’re going to be living in this place, which means that we’re obligated to tell the rest of the household about your presence.”

“Oh, Dear Old Doie knows I’m here,” Jungwoo said breezily. “But he _insists_ that I stay away from Jeno. Something about being a, and I quote, ‘bad influence?’”

“And I’m just supposed to agree with that?”

Jungwoo chuckled. “Look. I too had a deal with the last Alpha. I could stay on the territory as long as I didn’t cause any trouble. And my Darling Doie agreed because having a demon present keeps other demons away. Which is perfectly fine by me. I get to live in a mansion, with some pretty eye candy no less, and all I have to do is exist? Yes, please.”

And with that, Jungwoo was there to stay, and Johnny was surprised to find that Julie was spending a lot of time with him. It was probably out of distrust more than anything, but Johnny was still relieved. Julie needed other friends. And even if a demon wasn’t exactly Johnny’s first choice, it was still better than nothing.

Johnny had more important things to worry about, anyhow. He glanced down at his phone, open to three emails from three people he hadn’t heard from in years. Each email was slightly different in their own way, but they each held basically the same message.

_Hey John. We’re coming home._

All three were signed by people with the surname “Jung.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so. hi.
> 
> this is a concept i've been toying with since forever now, and funnily enough, this is only one of two werewolf aus that were just chilling in my drafts.
> 
> also, idk why i'm posting this when i'm literally signed up for like, three ficfests, but :P


	2. II: The Jungs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the struggle to reconcile past with present begins.

“You know, sweet little Julie”—Jungwoo booped her on the nose—”just because _I_ don’t need sleep doesn’t mean you don’t either.”

Julie wrinkled her nose. “Give me one reason why I should listen to you, _demon_.”

Jungwoo tsked. “A little harsh, but one reason would be so you could just go to sleep like you want to.” In a flash of green light, he was suddenly standing in front of him. He leaned in, his face in hers. “I can practically taste your exhaustion, chickadee. Your body’s begging for it.”

The prospect of sleep was tempting, but Julie stood firm. Who cared about her health anyway? She just huffed, shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket, and kept walking, walking through Jungwoo’s body like he was a projection or a ghost. 

“...alright then,” Jungwoo said. Another green flash, and he was walking next to her instead. “Why are we here?” he asked instead.

Julie stopped walking. “You know, you don’t _have_ to be here, walking down a city street at half-past midnight.”

“Aw man, if you had said ‘half-past twelve,’ I could started singing ABBA…” 

“That’s exactly why I didn’t—”

Jungwoo suddenly bent over backwards and to grin widely at a new figure. “Why, _hello_ , Moon Taeil. What besides destiny could have brought us together today?"

Moon Taeil, hands in his trench coat pockets, looked decidedly unimpressed. "Coincidence."

“Oh, Moonie, baby. You’re so _cold_ , and that makes me so very, very _hot_ —”

“Jungwoo,” Julie interrupted. “What the hell is an _angel_ doing here?”

The only indication that Taeil was surprised by this was the slight raising of his eyebrows. "You can sense that?"

"Interesting, isn't she, Moonie?" Jungwoo purred.

"What?" Julie scowled. "Am I not supposed to be able to tell?"

Taeil stared at her for a bit, and Julie could feel him probing her soul: the same way Jungwoo had when they had first met.

_What on Earth were they looking for?_

Taeil shook his head. “Ah, well. That’s not important right now. What’s important is that I give you the current rundown on the current supernatural creatures in the area.”

Julie raised an eyebrow. “So you’re the gatekeeper,” she said doubtfully, having never heard of this “Moon Taeil” before. Normally, the gatekeeper was selected by the leader of most cohesive supernatural presence in the area. In their case, it would have been a Seo Alpha.

 _He must have been chosen by a past Alpha_ , Julie reasoned. _Johnny has not yet chosen a new gatekeeper, after all_.

“I wasn’t chosen by your Alpha, yes,” Taeil said. “And you are right to presume that a previous Alpha had tasked me with monitoring movement across the borders of your territory. For what it is worth, I too am bound by an oath to protect this land. I have no intention of deceiving or undermining you or your Alpha.”

Julie scowled. “With all due respect, Mr. Moon, please stay out of my head.”

Taeil raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Julie waited for another comment. Instead, he simply sighed. “My apologies. Very well, then. I will now share with you my concerns as of late. Or rather, _your_ concerns. Any other creature would deem these as not worth their attention.”

That was true. Gatekeepers only gave such reports when there were major problems. Otherwise, they typically remained tangential to a Pack, rather than trying to integrate themselves into the heart of it.

But Julie had been feeling restless lately: her wolf twisting her insides and snarling at the edges of her brain. It wasn’t satisfied with the drama of a mild-mannered teenager.

She needed a fight. She wasn’t soft enough for peace, and the others around her were too soft to live any other way. And so, she squared her shoulders and raised her chin. “What conflicts have been troubling the land as of late, Mr. Moon?”

“Well, Miss…”

“No last name. I ran away from home for a reason.”

A flash of concern, then a return to a poker face. “Miss Julie, then. As of late, there have been reporters of strange figures stumbling around late at night in the cemeteries. The human authorities have dismissed it as drunken teenagers, but there is something interfering with the Veil.” Taeil’s grimace, if possible, darkened further. “I believe someone is playing with death.”

Julie pursed her lips, racking her exhausted brain for anything and everything she knew about the Veil. “A necromancer, maybe? What else has the power to return to the side of life from the side of death?”

“Contrary to popular belief, Miss Julie, necromancers do not have the power to raise the dead. Instead they are, at their core, healers. However, seeing as human witch-magics are extremely limited in their scope and utility, a necromancer’s healing abilities are limited to bringing someone back from the brink of death. They cannot heal if the situation is not critical, and they cannot use their powers if death has already occurred.

“So this? This was no human. This was the work of a more powerful being, on the level of either a demon…”

“...or another angel,” Jungwoo finished, looking uncharacteristically serious.

“However,” Taeil said, “I do not think it is a demon at full power. My guess is that this demon is trying to feed upon the residual energies of the recently deceased.” Taeil turned back to Julie. “It would be a waste of time and energy to hunt down the demon in question. As such, all that is left to put these zombies to rest.”

But by the time they got to the cemetery, Julie was appalled at the amount of creatures roaming around. “I thought you said this demon was weak.”

“They are,” Jungwoo (surprisingly) said. “Take a deep breath, sweetheart. They won’t smell like blood and rotting flesh. They’ll smell like dirt and tears instead.” At her confused look, Jungwoo explained. “The emotions left behind in the tears of the mourners is enough to animate a creature.” He turned to Julie with a playfully raised eyebrow. “Well, little girl. Are you ready to play?” He didn’t wait for an answer though. He rushed down the hill, laughing maniacally as he gleefully left behind piles of dirt in his wake. Taeil, albeit with an exasperated sigh at Jungwoo’s enthusiasm, sprouted a pair of glowing wings and gently glided down to join Jungwoo.

She should be down there, she thought to herself. But something about the whole picture made her pause for a second.

_If you’re too weak to even properly feed on real souls, why would you bother animating anything at all?_

Julie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was starting to look like it was going to be a long night. And on a school night too. Damn…

_Sorry, John. I just hope that you haven’t noticed I snuck out of the house again._

* * *

 “Good morning, sir.”

Johnny sighed. “How many times do I have to tell you? Just call me Johnny.”

One corner of Doyoung’s lips quirked up. “Alright, then, Johnny. I made breakfast.”

“Thank you, Doyoung. I’ll just wake up Julie, and we’ll both be down in a bit.”

“Are you sure? I could do it. No need to trouble yourself.”

“No, trust me, Doyoung. It’s better if I do it. She hates waking up.”

Doyoung nodded. “I understand. My Jeno is only unpleasant in the mornings. Thank goodness he’s already downstairs.”

“Teenagers, am I right?”

“Indeed…”

Leaving Doyoung, Johnny carefully approached Julie’s bedroom door. “Jules?” he called, gently rapping at the door. He was surprised when the door gently creaked open, since Julie had a habit of locking doors. What _didn’t_ surprise him was how unbelievably dark it was in the room.

“I think she’s touch-starved,” a voice said suddenly.

If Johnny didn’t have his Alpha training, he probably would have jumped a foot in the air. “Jungwoo, you really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”

Jungwoo just shrugged. “I never did like doing what was good for me.” He gave the curtains a thoughtful look. “In fact…”

Johnny’s eyes widened. “Jungwoo, _wait_!” he hissed.

Too late. In a flash of green light, Jungwoo had teleported to the curtains and flung them open, letting waves of golden sunlight crash onto the breathing lump of blankets and pillows in the middle of the bed. Said lump gave a muffled noise of complaint and curled up even tighter into itself further.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Jungwoo chirped. “Up and at ‘em! Doie made breakfast!”

“Woo,” the lump groaned. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Aw, honey,” Jungwoo grinned. “Having a nice dream?”

“Woo, I swear to God—”

“I mean, I don’t blame you. He does make for a lovely drea—”

A hand shot out from under the covers and clasped itself around Jungwoo’s throat. Julie finally sat up, letting the covers fall from her head.

“All I have to do,” she growled, “is squeeze.”

“But you won’t,” Jungwoo said simply. “For one thing, I would enjoy it too much—”

Anything else he might have said went unheard as Julie threw him like a ragdoll into the window. Johnny felt himself sigh. It wasn’t even 7:30am yet.

“Come on, Jules,” Johnny said. “You’re driving Jeno to school today.”

Julie blinked at him slowly, either from shock or from grogginess. Probably both. “Um. Okay? Why?”

“I have…business to attend to today.”

Julie frowned a little at the obvious lie by omission, but she sighed in resignation. “Alright, fine. But I hope I get answers later.” Throwing off the covers, she said, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go get breakfast before Jeno eats everything.”

Johnny sighed. He’d have to deal with her later…

“If anyone cares,” Jungwoo groaned from his place on the floor, “I’m okay!” 

* * *

The last time Johnny was in a police station, he was eighteen and still reeling from the shock of losing his pack. When he had lost his bonds with Jessica, Krystal, Jaehyun, Ten… That had only been one bond at a time. Losing so many all at once—

“Excuse me, kid,” an officer suddenly said. “Are you looking for someone?”

Johnny’s gaze flitted down to the name on the officer’s uniform. Park Jungsoo.

“Yes, actually,” Johnny replied. “I’m here to see—”

“Seo Youngho!” came a voice as gentle as Johnny remembered. And there she was. Jessica Jung, looking as pretty and poised as ever, and Johnny couldn’t help but feel like he was a little kid all over again. “Oh, Leeteuk- _ssi_ ,” Jessica was saying. “It’s okay, he’s with me”—she strode over to Johnny and then, flipping to English in the same breath—“oh Johnny,” she said, hugging him tight. “You grew up so much…”

One corner of Johnny’s lips twitched. “Hey, Jess,” he managed.

“Aw, is little Johnny crying?” another voice teased.

“Not so little anymore, Krystal,” Jessica chided, letting Johnny go and facing her sister.

“True. What the hell did you eat to get so tall?” Krystal asked, pulling Johnny into a hug of her own. “God, munchkin, I don’t even know what to call you anymore…”

“You can still call me that, Krys.”

“Hey,” Krystal said, gently smacking Johnny on the arm. “It’s Officer Jung now.”

“But there’s two of you.”

“I said what I said!”

“Come on, you two,” Jessica chuckled fondly. “Jae’s getting out of his class soon, and we need to go pick him up.” Jessica turned back to Officer Park. “Leeteuk- _ssi_? We’re going out to lunch now.”

“Actually, Sooyeon- _ssi_ , why don’t you two take the day off? Kyuhyun- _ssi_ and Siwon- _ssi_ are coming back from their own schedules today, so we should be fine today, provided that nothing horrendous happens.” Officer Park smiled softly. “After all, I know how family is.”

 _Family._ Yes, Johnny thought. He was about to have a family again. And so he pulled both of his older cousins into another hug and breathed in deeply. It was nice. They smelled exactly as he remembered.

Jaehyun was very much as he remembered too. Sure, he was taller now, and definitely a hell of a lot more muscular. But he still had that same dimpled smile, so Johnny really didn’t feel like he was staring at a stranger.

And besides, Jaehyun was still the only person Johnny knew that put broccoli on his pizza, so really, it couldn’t have been anyone else.

“I can’t believe you still do that,” Johnny said.

“And I can’t believe you still don’t,” Jaehyun shot back.

“It’s just weird, my dude.”

“No, it’s not!”

“Boys,” Jessica said gently. “Let’s focus on how this is going to work from here on out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Jessica began, "I imagine Jaehyun is going to want to move into the Pack House."

“Yes, _please_ ,” Jaehyun begged, swallowing a mouthful of pizza. “The frat boys keep trying to recruit me, and I don’t know how to tell them that their scents give me headaches!”

“Alright, then. When are you free to move out?”

Jaehyun looked a little sheepish. “I’ve actually been packed and ready to move out ever since I heard you were back in town. So we could pick up my stuff right now, honestly.”

“As for Jess and I," Krystal said, "considering our jobs, are probably going to have to stay in the city. So we probably aren’t going to move into the Pack House.”

“That’s fair,” Johnny said, pushing down a tiny piece of disappointment. “You’re welcome anytime, though.”

“Oh, Johnny, we know,” Jessica said, taking his hand in hers. “And I promise you. Just because we’re not living with you doesn’t mean we aren’t there for you. We’re just a phone call away, so don’t worry.”

Suddenly, Johnny’s cell phone rang.

“Speaking of phone calls…” Krystal mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.

Johnny rolled his eyes and answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, Johnnyboy,” Ten drawled. “Just letting you know I’m boarding soon.”

“Alright, Tennie. See you in like, what, six hours?”

“Yup! See you then, booboo.”

“Ugh,” Jaehyun gagged.

“I heard that!” Ten yelled through the phone.

“Good,” Jaehyun sassed. “You were supposed to.”

“Jung Jaehyun, when I land in Seoul, the first thing I will do is strangle you—”

“Yeah, whatever, Ten,” Jaehyun said, plucking the phone out of Johnny’s grip and hanging up on Ten. But he didn’t give the phone back right away, instead staring at Johnny’s wallpaper.

 _Oh no_. Johnny could feel the question coming.

“...who is this?” he asked softly, gingerly placing the phone on the table.

“That’s…” Johnny gulped and smiled sadly. “That’s Taeyong. My mate.”

Jessica leaned over to look at the phone. “Oh Johnny…” she said softly. “He’s beautiful.”

“He was,” Johnny agreed quietly. “And even though he’s not mine anymore, I somehow don’t doubt he’s still beautiful.”

“Man,” Krystal said, swallowing her pizza. “You sound whipped.”

“Well, yeah,” Johnny said softly. “He’s my mate, Krys. Of course I would be.”

A beat of silence. Then, quietly, Jaehyun said, “Tell me about him.”

Johnny stared out blankly as he began to remember. “Like I said. He was beautiful. And so talented. Very smart—”

“Yeah, but,” Krystal said. “Tell us a story.”

Johnny tried to think. For obvious reasons, he tried not to think about Taeyong too much. But at night, when he dreamt, it was easy to indulge himself. It was easy to go back, to relive a time when everything was still fine…

“There was one time…” Johnny began slowly. "Remember that old summer camp? Well, one year, on the last day we were there with the kids, one of them grabbed a hose and moved to spray Taeyong.

"I didn't even know what I was doing. One minute, I was grabbing lemonade for the both of us, and the next, I was in front of Taeyong, taking most of the water while he got out relatively dry. He didn’t stay dry for very long, and we both were completely soaked by the end of the kids' water fight, but later, when we had all dried off and assembled the kids in front of s’mores and a campfire, he kissed me and called me his 'knight in shining sweatpants.'"

Krystal looked like she wanted to make a comment, but she stopped at the wistful look on Johnny’s face. And a respectful silence took over the table, almost mournful of the pack member they never got to meet. After all, this was the one thing that every supernatural creature understood and respected. Mates were sacred, so much so that messing with that bond meant forfeiting your life.

“Oh, Johnny,” Jessica sighed softly, getting up to pull him into a hug. “You’ll see him again someday.”

Johnny could only wish he had her optimism, but he still appreciated Krystal and Jaehyun adding themselves to the hug.

* * *

“Man, this place is just as big as I remember,” Jaehyun commented as they entered the house with his moving boxes.

“That it is,” Johnny huffed around his box. “Though Jae, I didn’t think, when you said you were ready to move out, I didn’t think you actually meant _ready to move out_.”

Jaehyun shrugged. “Like I said, I needed to get out of there. Because there were also too many people trying to sleep with me, and I just couldn’t take—”

Johnny looked at where Jaehyun was staring and immediately felt embarrassed.

On the living room couch was a girl in a letterman jacket over a cheerleading outfit. She was flipped upside down with her back on the seat and legs kicked up over the back of the couch. Her head lolled over the edge of the couch, her pigtails half on the floor, and her long, dark eyelashes fluttered open as she popped her lollipop out from between her red-stained lips.

But whereas Johnny felt embarrassed, this girl had no such qualms. In fact, she gave a wide Cheshire grin at the sight of Jaehyun.

“Well, _hello_ there, handsome,” she purred. “I _would_ say you can call me Rose…” She paused, giving Jaehyun a slow onceover. "But I think I'm gonna let you call me anytime." She gave a salacious wink, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared in a flash of green light, reappearing draped all over Jaehyun and poking at his biceps. “Aren’t you a strong one, hmm?”

Jaehyun blinked. “Um…" He shifted, trying to readjust his grip on the boxes.

“This is my cousin Jung Jaehyun,” Johnny interrupted. “He’s going to be living with us from now on, so _please_ be nice to him.”

“Oh, I’m going to be _more_ than just nice to him,” she replied, running a manicured nail along Jaehyun’s jawline.

“I—”

“Jungwoo, you _demon_ ,” a voice snapped, and the whole room turned to see a rather annoyed Kim Doyoung. “I thought I told you to _behave_.”

“Aw, Doie, are you jealous?” Rose asked, curling herself more tightly around Jaehyun.

“Jungwoo—”

“Don’t worry, Doie darling, you’ll always be special to me—”

“ _Jungwoo_.”

Rose pouted and untangled herself from Jaehyun. “Fine.” A flash of green light, and in Rose’s place stood Jungwoo, taller and far more innocent looking in his jeans and hoodie. (He still kept the eye makeup though.)

“Happy now?” he asked, raising a suspiciously perfect eyebrow.

“Not quite,” Doyoung said with a scowl still on his face. “Jeno's coming home soon, so you need to make yourself scarce."

Jungwoo huffed. "Do I have to do it _now_?" he whined.

"Yes, I can hear them approaching the driveway."

"Them?" Jaehyun asked.

Doyoung blinked, as if he finally noticed that Jaehyun was in the room. "Oh," he said, his expression softening. "Forgive me and allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kim Doyoung, and I serve the Seo household."

"Aw, Doie," Jungwoo cooed, suddenly appearing next to him and poking his cheek. "You're so humble. It's cute."

"Don't touch me," he grumbled, pushing Jungwoo away.

"For the record," Johnny said. "I consider you more than just a butler. I consider you a trusted advisor, particularly in interspecies relations."

Doyoung bowed. "Thank you, Alpha Seo." He then turned to Jaehyun. "Jung Jaehyun, I presume? Johnny has told me a lot about you.”

If it was possible, Jaehyun’s ears turned even redder. “Oh. Has he?”

“My favorite story was the one where you cried until your mom painted your toenails because you wanted to be just like your big sisters,” Jungwoo grinned.

Jaehyun whirled on Johnny. “You told them about that?!”

“Regardless,” Doyoung said. “Julie and Jeno are getting close now. So Jungwoo, _please_.”

Jungwoo simply raised an eyebrow, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Actually, I have a better idea.” And in another flash of green light, there was a black cat with glittering green eyes standing in Jungwoo’s place.

A flash of recognition in Doyoung’s eyes. “Wait a second—”

The front door opened, and a voice called out, “Dad, I’m home!”

“In the living room, Jeno- _yah_ ,” Doyoung replied.

But Johnny was more concerned about the other wolf that just entered the house. She wasn’t saying anything, she was just confused at the sight of all the boxes.

 _John?_ she sent through her pack bond. Julie had known Johnny would be meeting up with his cousins today, but she didn’t think they would have joined the pack this fast. Johnny sensed as much and felt a little guilty.

 _Hey, Jules. Sorry I didn’t tell you, but we were busy moving Jae in to the house_ —

 _Johnny,_ Julie thought back. _It’s fine. Really._ And then her mind shut itself off from him again. Ah, the disadvantages of teaching Julie to manage her emotions. Now, he could only see what she wanted him to see.

“Hey, Dad,” Jeno was saying, his backpack slung over one shoulder. “Sorry we’re late, but Jaemin said he had to—”

The black cat on the kitchen floor meowed, and Jeno’s expression turned terrified.

“Um, I can explain—”

“Explain what, exactly, Jeno?”

“It’s just… I—” Jeno suddenly dropped his backpack and picked up the cat. “Look at him, Dad! I found him just wandering outside by himself… His name is Loki, and I promise he’s been a good cat, please?”

Doyoung did _not_ look happy. “Jeno… How long have you kept this cat?”

Jeno looked sheepish. “Um. Since the beginning of the school year?”

It was silent for a while, and with each second that passed, Jeno smelled more and more fearful. Finally, Doyoung sighed in resignation.

“Don’t let him sleep in your bedroom,” he said.

"Oh, don't worry, I haven't been!" Jeno was quick to reassure him. "I knew you wouldn't be happy if there was a cat in my room, so I put his cat bed under the desk in the office! That's where I've been feeding him too!"

Right. The office. It had always been something of a War Room in times of pack crisis, so Doyoung, as a vampire, never went in there, feeling it would be disrespectful to werewolf tradition if he did. It was smart of Jeno, really.

Finally, Julie entered the room. She barely glanced at Jaehyun. Her gaze instead skipped over him to settle directly on Johnny.

"Hey John, your girl cousins are coming up the road with the rest of the boxes. I think I’m gonna stay outside and wait for them. That way, you can catch up with your cousin and help him move in.” She finally turned to look at Jaehyun, giving him a small nod. “Jaehyun- _ssi_.”

Johnny pursed his lips. “Jules—”

“John, it’s _fine_ ,” she said, continuing to walk away.

Doyoung blinked. "At least let me make you a snack—”

“No, thank you,” she said. She didn’t even look back as she opened the door to walk back outside. An uncomfortable quiet settled over them. Johnny sighed. He was not looking forward to the conversation he was probably going to have with her later…

“Anyway,” Doyoung eventually said. “Come with me, Jaehyun- _ssi_. I’ll show you to your room. I hope you find it to your liking.”

Jaehyun looked Doyoung up and down. “Something tells me I will.”

The cat in Jeno’s arms yowled angrily. Startled, Jeno dropped it, and the room watched it as it stuck its nose up as it walked away.

Doyoung sighed at the cat. “In any case, I’m glad you’re here, Jaehyun- _ssi_. It’ll be good for Jeno to have more wolves in the house.”

“Whoa, Jaehyun- _ssi_ , you’re a wolf too?!” Jeno perked up.

An amused quirk of Jaehyun’s lips. “I am. Can’t you smell it?”

Jeno hung his head. “No… I… I think my smell is the same as a human’s.”

Doyoung was watching Jaehyun carefully, as if ready to attack him if he said the wrong thing. But Jaehyun didn’t even notice this at all, instead saying, “That’s okay. I’m really bad at hearing people outside of a human range.”

The look on Doyoung’s face… It was as if gravity itself had shifted. The interesting part was that Jaehyun looked _happy_ , glancing between an awed Jeno and a suddenly emotional Doyoung. Like he just found something he didn’t even know he was looking for.

Johnny knew what this was, and so he excused himself, deciding to bake some cookies for Julie to come home to. After all, Doyoung deserved a break away from making after school snack for once.

* * *

The wind was knocked out of Julie as she was thrown into the tree behind her. Landing facedown on the ground, she coughed, spat out some leaves, and pulled herself back up.

“I know you won’t believe me,” Krystal said, “but you did do better that time around.”

Julie huffed. “Yeah, it only took _slightly_ longer to kick my ass.”

“Progress is progress,” Jessica replied. “Now, come on. Try again.”

And so they did. Again, and again, and again, and again. In hindsight, perhaps asking two police officers to spar with her wasn't the smartest idea Julie had ever had. But if it got her out of unpacking boxes, then she didn't mind getting beaten up over and over. Until finally, Julie snapped, frustrated that she hadn't even won _once_.

“Do you guys just enjoy beating me up?”

“Julie—”

“ _No_ ,” she said. “I don’t want to hear it. You guys aren’t teaching me to fight or defend myself. You’re teaching me to lose. And believe me, I already know how to do that.”

Silence. Then, a sigh. “Here’s the thing, Julie,” Jessica said. “You’re not bad at this at all. You know what you’re doing, I can tell.”

Julie snorted. “You’re just trying to make me feel better—”

“She’s not,” Krystal said. “You just suck because you’re tired.”

An indignant growl. “I am not—”

“What are you trying to do, kid? What do you think you’ll accomplish by wearing yourself out—?”

“ _Stop talking to me like that_ ,” Julie snapped. And with that, she stormed off, shifting into her wolf form and running into the woods.

“...well, that could have gone better,” Krystal said.

Jessica sighed. “I just want her to know that we’re here for her. I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable with us…”

 “I don’t think it can be helped. A kid that age? She’s not gonna listen to anyone or anything. Too much anger, when you’re in high school.”

“Yeah…” Jessica turned back to her sister, finally tearing her gaze away from where Julie had disappeared. “Well, we better help unpack those boxes. Otherwise, we might get asked to pick up Ten from the airport instead.”

“Oh god, Ten,” Krystal groaned. “God bless the poor soul that gets stuck with him…”

"As a mate? Or just stuck in a car with him."

"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dear god, i finally finished this chapter. i kept rewriting it because i was never happy with it. so finally, i just decided to post it and see what happens. you know, before i change my mind again.
> 
> i also don't know why i'm doing this to myself, since the only sm people whose personalities i'm super familiar with are in nct. hopefully there aren't an meus and sones offended by how i portrayed the sisters, because i'm just making educated guesses, honestly

**Author's Note:**

> Questions? Comments? Concerns? Send them to my [CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/princessgongju1)!  
> A link to my ko-fi page can also be found in my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/princessgongju1) bio!  
> Thanks so much for reading, and I'll see you in the next one!


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